🕊️ “Souls Are Precious”
Souls are not shadows, nor echoes that fade—
They are embers of glory, divinely arrayed.
Each one a breath from the mouth of the Lord,
Each one a story, a promise restored.
Not weighed by merit, nor lost in despair,
But sought by the Shepherd with infinite care.
From wilderness wandering to covenant call,
The soul is His treasure, the soul is His all.
📜 35 Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are our brethren; therefore, give unto us, O Lord, power and wisdom that we may bring these, our brethren, again unto thee.
Let’s take this step by step, with the focus word “souls.”
- Phrase: “their souls are precious”
- Focus word: souls
1. Identity of “souls”
- In scripture, “soul” often means the whole person—their spirit and body together.
- Here, it emphasizes the eternal worth of each individual, not just their physical life but their divine essence.
Here are a sum of scriptures I've pulled from this section "Worth of Souls", that I was inspired by what I'm expecting & the Holy Comforter. I've left the link for you as the audience, so as you can explore for further revelation.
📗 Psalms 49
📜 8 (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)
📕 Luke 15
📜 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
📒 Alma 39
📜 17 And now I will ease your mind somewhat on this subject. Behold, you marvel why these things should be known so long beforehand. Behold, I say unto you, is not a soul at this time as precious unto God as a soul will be at the time of his coming?
📘 Doctrine and Covenants 18
🗝📜10 Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;
📜 11 For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him.
📜 12 And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance.
🗝📜13 And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth!
📜 14 Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto this people.
🗝📜15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!
📚 Moses 1
📜 39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
- To call a soul “precious” is to affirm infinite value.
- This suggests that God’s love is not conditional—each soul is treasured, regardless of current belief or behavior.
By President M. Russell Ballard
Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
April 2018
"We should remember Paul’s declaration: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”(Philippians 4:13) Knowing this is another precious gift from God."
- Alma says, “many of them are our brethren.”
- Souls are not isolated units; they are relational. Preciousness is tied to kinship, covenant, and shared humanity.
By Elder M. Russell Ballard
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
October 1988
"In the Church we use the word fellowship to describe our efforts
(1) to encourage less-active members to return to full activity and
(2) to help new converts make the transition into the Church following baptism.
I believe those meanings are valid, but to me the word fellowship has a much broader connotation. I believe we members do not have the option to extend the hand of fellowship only to relatives, close friends, certain Church members, and those selected nonmembers who express an interest in the Church. Limiting or withholding our fellowship seems to me to be contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Savior offered the effects of his atoning sacrifice to all mankind. He said, “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” (D&C 18:10.) Can we justify doing less? Let me give you a few examples that illustrate my message."
- If every soul is precious, then God’s love extends universally.
- Alma’s prayer is not selective—he pleads for wisdom to bring all brethren back.
- The verse assumes divine love as the foundation, and human stewardship as the response.
🕊️ Guiding Question
If “souls” are precious to God, what does that suggest about how we should treat those who seem far from Him?
Alma’s plea in Alma 31:35 anchors us in the truth that souls are precious. Scripture consistently affirms this—from Psalms declaring the redemption of the soul as precious, to Christ’s parable of the lost sheep in Luke, to Alma’s reminder that every soul is as precious now as at His coming, to the Doctrine and Covenants proclaiming the worth of souls as great in the sight of God, and finally to Moses 1:39 where God’s work and glory is to bring immortality and eternal life to man.
To call a soul “precious” is to affirm infinite value, rooted in God’s universal love and Christ’s atoning sacrifice. Preciousness is not conditional, nor is it limited to the faithful—it extends to all, even those far from Him. Alma’s framing of “brethren” reminds us that souls are relational, tied to kinship and covenant, and that our stewardship is communal. Fellowship, as taught by leaders of the Church, is not optional or selective but must mirror the Savior’s inclusive love.
Thus, the worth of souls compels us to extend love, patience, and fellowship universally. God’s love is the foundation, and our calling is to labor with wisdom and power to bring souls back to Him. In this, we find both divine joy and sacred responsibility: to see every soul as precious, to treat them as brethren, and to participate in God’s work and glory.
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